Musical drums require often periodic tuning, both to compensate for expansion and contraction of the skin or head and to change to change the pitch of the drum to accommodate musical needs. The skin typically expands and contracts in response to climactic changes and aging of the skin. The use of natural hides in drums, for example goatskin, provides a desirable musical quality to a drum, but typically results in significant expansion and contraction of the skin, with attendant changes in pitch.
Means have been developed in the past to adjust the tension on the skins of various types of drums. Typically, these have comprised various arrangements of cords and turnbuckles or other tensioning devices mounted to the outside of the drum body, to pull the skin downwardly over the body of the drum. These solutions require the use of a relatively large number of tensioning devices, particularly if the drum has a large diameter, making tuning the drum time-consuming and complex. As well, where it is desired to provide a smooth exterior to the body of the drum, for example, in a hand-held drum, these solutions are not useable. A hand-held drum, such as a traditional Irish bodhran, is generally grasped by the body of the drum, and the presence of externally-mounted tensioning devices would hinder the musician's ability to handle the drum. As well, it may be desirable for sake of appearance to provide a smooth, clean exterior of the drum.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a drum wherein the tuning means for the skin is relatively simple in operation and is positioned within the body of the drum, so as to avoid the use of external tensioning devices.